Freely supported deck-construction



1967 A. T YHOL 3,333,374

F/GJ

United States Parent O 3,333,374 FREELY SUPPORTED DECK-CONSTRUCTION Andreas Thyholt, Olav Trygvasonsgt. 24A, Trondheim, Norway Filed Dec. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 513,353 2 Claims. (Cl. 52-80) This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 295,696, filed July 17, 1963, now abandoned.

The present inventon relates to a freely supported construction adapted to support a deck (eg. a roof sheathing, a flooring, or the like).

Constructions of this type are known, in which tie or traction elements are suspended between fixed suspension points. A drawback of many of these constructions is that they must be stayed or back-stayed exteriorly of the horizontal projection of the desk. The object of the present inventon is to avoid this drawback, by providing novel cooperation between the tieand pressure-elements of the construction, all of which are situated within the horizontal projection of the deck.

Other, known, constructions of the above mentioned type, using lines, wires or the like which are not stayed beyond the horizontal projection of the deck, have the drawback that the stay or stretch elements are secured to the pressure elements at several places. Said elements then must have rather large dimensions, in order to be able to take up considerable bending stresses, or the elements must be given a curved shape. In each of these cases they are only poorly adapted for prefabrication and mounting. Curved pressure elements are, moreover, not suitable for the Combining of similar units.

The object of the present construction is to eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks by using lightweight and relatively straight pressure elements, which are easily produced and, when desired, transported and mounted. A further object is to provide units having straight edges, so that they may be united along such edges for surfaces of greater areas.

In general, many deck constructions must, when arranged over large, free spans, be provided with both primary and Secondary supporting elements for the roof cover (or the floor, etc.). An object of the present construction is to avoid to a certain degree such doubling of supporting elements, whereby the main tie elements are distributed or dispersed in the roof face (floor, etc.) as needed.

The above-mentioned advantages are, accordin-g to the inventon, obtained by providing an arbitrary number of rigid and relatively straight elements, which form the pressure elements of the construction. To the cooperation points (junction points, corners) of such elements there -are secured intersecting tie elements in the form of lines,

wires or the like. In this manner the functions of the tie elements become combined as parts of the main supporting system and as Secondary supporters.

An advantageous embodiment is obtained if the tie elements are interconnected at their intersection points. The pressure elements of the frame may be arranged in different planes. The construction may be supported at arbitrary points of the frame, preferably at the corners of the frame.

Three embodiments of the inventon are below described in detail, with reference to the drawings.

FIG. l is a plan view of a first construction according to the inventon, and

FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a second construction according to the inventon.

FIG. 4 shows a third construction, such third c-onstruction being composed of four units of the type of FIG. 1,

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FIG. 5 is a side view of the construction according to FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a plan view on a'reduced scale of a fourth construction accordin-g to the inventon.

FIGS. l and 2 illustrate a construction unit comprising a single or simple frame. This unit consists of a frame A, J, D, H, comprising four pressure elements, of which A, H andH, D are situated in a single plane that intersects another plane extending through the pressure elements A, J and J, D. The frame includes conventional means, e.g., hinges, means not specifically shown for flexibly 'connecting the ends of successive side members of the frame together. Between the corners A and D extend a tie element 1, in the form of a cord (or the like), or possibly several cords (or the like) 2 as shown in FIG. 3, and between the corners H and J extend tie elements 3, Which are connected to the tie element 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2) or to the tie elements 2 (FIG. 3) respectively, so that all of the tie elements together form a curved (single or double curved) surface when subjected to load.

If decks are to be spanned over large, free span widths, it may be suitable to Combine two or more units to constitute a larger surface. This may, in different manners, be so efiected that the deck extends over a free span larger than the width of the unit proper, suitably by the tie and pressure elements of adjacent units-possibly also extra tie elements-forming new space frame works.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate such a combination of four units of the type shown in FIGS. l and 2, viZ, A. J. D. H. and A, E, B, J and B, F, C, J and C, G, D, J, respectively. Here all of the pressure elements AE, EB, BF, FC, CG, GD, DH and HA are situated in one* and the same plane, whereas the other pressure elements of the four frames, which are adjacent (or are in pairs combined to form single pressure elements), form the corner edges AJ, BJ, CJ, and DJ of a pyramd. The tie elements AB, BC, CD, and DA form the tie elements of the new space, pyra- =midal space frame work. The roof preferably is supported at the points A, E, B, F, C, G, D, and H. In FIG. 4 the tie elements are completely indicated in only the one of the units appearing at the bottom of the figure.

A deck according to the inventon may also be spanned between rigid constructions diiferent from the described pressure elements, the latter being substituted e.g. by already existing buildings surrounding an open square, or the like.

Secondary tie elements K-L (FIG. 6 between K and L) between the pressure elements, may be used for taking up Secondary forces (wind, etc.).

Although a limited number of embodiments of the inventon have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing Specification, it is to be especially understood that various changes, such as in the relative dimensions of the parts, materials used, and the like, as well as the suggested manner of use of the apparatus of the inventon, may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventon, as will now be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A generally horizontal deck-construction comprising a unit having an -open substantially equlateral quadrilateral frame, the sides of the frame being made up of elongated compression side members, means flexibly connectng the ends of successive side members of the frame together, a first pair of two adjacent side members lying in the same, first plane and the other two opposite side members, forming a second pair thereof, lying in the same, second plane, the first and second planes being inclined downwardly at substantial angles with respect to the horizontal and intersecting along a central line, the first corner, at the connection between the side members of the first pair, and the second corner, at the connection between the side members of the second pair, being disposed substantally above said Central line, at least one elongated first tension member disposed above and ex teriorly of the frame, said first tension member extending between and being connected to the said firstand second corners of the frame, and' a plurality of second, further tension members disposed above and extendin-g exteriorly of the frame extending between and connecting the other two opposite corners of the frame, said second tension members diverging as they leave one of said other two opposite corners of the frame and converging as they approach the other of said other two opposite corners of the frame, the said second tension members intersecting at points disposed above and exteriorly of the frame and being connected to the first tension member at such points of intersection, whereby the first and second tension members define a curved, hanging surface disposed above and exteriorly :of the frame.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,9l2,940 11/1959 Baroni 52- 80 3,137,097 6/1964 Zeinetz 52 8O 3,226,892 1/1966 Rose et al. 52-80 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD W. COOKE, JR., Examiner.

R. S. VERMUT, Assstant Examiner. 

1. A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DECK-CONSTRUCTION COMPRISING A UNIT HAVING AN OPEN SUBSTANTIALLY EQUILATERALL QUADRILATERAL FRAME, THE SIDES OF THE FRAME BEING MADE UP OF ELONGATED COMPRESSION SIDE MEMBERS, MEANS FLEXIBLE CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SUCCESSIVE SIDE MEMBERS OF THE FRAME TOGETHER, A FIRST PAIR OF TWO ADJACENT SIDE MEMBER LYING IN THE SAME, FIRST PLANE AND THE OTHER TWO OPPOSITE SIDE MEMBERS, FORMING A SECOND PAIR THEREOF, LYING IN THE SAME, SECOND PLANE, THE FIRST AND SECOND PLANES BEING INCLINESD DOWNWARDLY AT SUBSTANTIAL ANGLES WITH RESPECT TO THE HORIZONTAL AND INTERSECTING ALONG A CENTRAL LINE, THE FIRST CORNER, AT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SIDE MEMBERS OF THE FIRST PAIR, AND THE SECOND CORNER, AT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE SIDE MEMBERS OF THE SECOND PAIR, BEING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID CENTRAL LINE, AT LEAST ONE ELONGATED FIRST TENSION MEMBER DISPOSED ABOVE AND EXTERIORLY OF THE FRAME, SAID FIRST TENSION MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN AND BEING CONNECTED TO THE SAID FIRST AND SECOND CORNERS OF THE FRAME, AND A PLURALITY OF SECOND, FURTHER TENSION MEMBERS DISPOSED ABOVE AND EXTENDING EXTERIORLY OF THE FRAME EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTING THE OTHER TWO OPPOSITE CORNERS OF THE FRAME, SAID SECOND TENSION MEMBERS DIVERGING AS THEY LEAVE ONE OF SAID OTHER TWO OPPOSITE CORNERS OF THE FRAME AND CONVERGING AS THEY APPROACH THE OTHER OF SAID OTHER TWO OPPOSITE CORNERS OF THE FRAME, THE SAID SECOND TENSION MEMBERS INTERSECTING AT POINTS DISPOSED ABOVE AND EXTERIORLY OF THE FRAME AND BEING CONNECTED TO THE FIRST TENSION MEMBER AT SUCH POINTS OF INTERSECTION, WHEREBY THE FIRST AND SECOND TENSION MEMBERS DEFINE A CURVED, HANGING SURFACE DISPOSED ABOVE AND EXTERIORLY OF THE FRAME. 